After Stokes was dismissed for merely a run, on his way back to the pavilion, he was spotted smashing his bat in anger.

Ashes 2019:Ben Stokes knew once he was out, it was the final nail in the coffin and his reaction suggested just that. After Stokes was dismissed for merely a run, on his way back to the pavilion, he was spotted smashing his bat in anger. His dismissal also raised eyebrows as he walked without being given out, knowing well that the Ashes is on the line. It was Pat Cummins who found an edge from Stokes and the catch was completed by Tim Paine. Stokes would have felt disappointed as the Old Trafford crowd must have been expecting a repeat of Headingley.

“He knew it. He just walked … I suppose also in the modern game you know all this (technology) is available.

“Batsmen figure why hang around, it will just be referred given out anyway. But still when you see batsmen, they know they hit it, they know it will be detected and they stand their ground.

“Not Ben Stokes. Very disappointed but playing the game the right way, in my opinion,” he concluded.

Australia saw off late resistance from Jack Leach and Craig Overton to beat England by 185 runs on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the series and retain the Ashes. Chasing a target of 383, England folded for 197 as Pat Cummins took four wickets to pierce through its top and middle order, and Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc wiped out the rest.